Forager’s Folley(Jakem)
Date: 2025-12-30 14:18
(Forager’s Folley(Jakem):Jakem)
[Tue Dec 30 2025]
In Village Past the Brambles/span/span> This is a rustic, walled village made of strange alien woods of
bewildering grains and oddly purplish and pink tinges to their browns.
The village is small, easily traversable, but holds a few notable quarters.
The quarters include a small market, a seers hut elevated above the
populace, a walled tavern, an what looks like a viking longhouse.
/span/span>The village’s population is for the most part, wary and seems
to dissapear as the outsiders appear, but the bustle of townsfolk
within each of the aforementioned quarters can be seen and heard from here.
/span>
Reference Image: https://i.imgur.com/CRqBPDY.jpeg /span>night, about 30F(-1C) degrees, and the sky is covered by dark grey clouds. The mist is heaviest At Mayflower and Lake/span/span>
There is a waxing gibbous moon.
As the new landscape materializes after Jakem brings everyone through the mirror, the village stretching out before the group looks almost wartorn. Jakem turns to the groups “Okay, kinda using this as a basecamp if we need it. The plan today is to pick up some plants for replanting back in Haven. Thanks Mercy for the idea, even if you don’t remember giving it.”
“Oh.” Annabelle comments as the world bleeds into colors more than the sum of their reflections, more or less skipping her thoughts like a rock over the topic of taxidermy RG and letting it seek out of mind.
“..That sounds cute. Probably.”
Maise spins around, “Oh! Look at it, it’s beautiful and so historic.”
Jakem glances about “So I suppose the issue here is how are we getting a bunch of plants dug up, cared for safely, and brought back to the mirrorgate? I suppose we could just take small ones, or we could grab some supplies.”
Mercy stretches her arms up over her head and takes in a breath of fresh air, still seeming to be rather groggy but happy to be outdoors and someplace lacking in the stench of alleyway garbage heaps and car exhaust.
In the distance strange, almost human creatures can be seen milling about the town.
Teagan also seems happy to be outdoors. She wiggles her staff into the dirt a bit and the branches at the apex bloom a bit brighter. “I can probably do something to help with that,” she murmurs, glancing down at their feet. “Magic being stronger here and all.”
“Oh. Is that why we’re here?” Bekki/i>Jakem nods to Mercy “Great! Sounds like you’ve watched at least one gardening show. And Bekki knows about tulips. I’m gonna appoint yah leader. Everyone follow Mercy now.”
frowns to Bekki “I think Wonder wants stuff like the world tree in tact. Though I suppose a plant that has the World Tree inside it might count.”
Mercy just stares at Jakem dimly.
Mercy heaves a weary sigh and puts her hands on her hips, trying to rally herself as she peers around the area. “Well, ain’ gonna find much in the village as opposed to the surroundin’ forest I figure, maybe we should venture out jus’ a bit an’ start scourin’ fer interestin’ flora.”
Jakem looks to Maise “Oh good, you brought a coat, don’t suppose you brought gardening gloves?”
While Glorious Leader Mercy decides what they’re going to do, Teagan starts mucking with magic. Mostly by summoning up roots and greenery to make herself one of those chairs people get carried around in. Except it looks like she’s giving it trunk-like legs to walk itself around instead. A Queen has to move in style after all.
Mercy says “Ain’ need gloves, but maybe someone oughta find the nearest shop that got like, a shovel.“
There are indeed a few small shops in the market.
“Based.” Bekki/i>Mercy sets her sights on Annabelle thoughtfully. “.. Think you could handle barterin’ fer a shovel or three?”
“I. Think these work as currency?” Annabelle supposes, somehow deeming Mercy chief of bartering and negotiations with a heavy sack of coins.
Annabelle pretends to think about her answer very long and very hard.
Jakem glances at the doubloons “Oh hey, from our pirate trip? Nice thinking.”
Mercy is probably more likely to get the price raised than lowered with her demeanor, particularly while uncaffeinated, and a surly grunt to Annabelle’s answer emphasizes that reality. “Fine, Jakem then. He’s all.. talk-y an’ suave an’ shit. Sorta.”
nods to Mercy “Sure, I can grab some shovels. Anything else you think we should have?” He asks, addressing the question to Bekki, Maise, and Teagan as well.
Mercy tries to think back on those gardening shows she barely watched while very much not sober.
Annabelle looks between Mercy and Jakem with a dwindling excitement, one that ultimately ends with a slump of her shoulders and a dig through her bag. Producing some kind of bruised-purple root that twists in its oak-like texture, she pops it in her mouth with a clinical grimace.
Teagan is busy building herself a self-propelled palanquin from vines and thin trees and flowers that she draws up from around them.
“Coffee.” Bekki suggests. “Maybe snacks. No point doing this without doing it with a snack.”
Mercy says “.. Okay yeah an’ coffee if that exists here.“
nods over to Bekki “Great, I think they make gruel here. I’ll pick up a sack of it.”
Jakem holds out his hand “Uh, could I grab the money then?”
Jakem heads to the Market, calling back to Mercy “A good deal for us or them?” Annnnnd he’s gone.
Annabelle says, increasingly deadpan, “He’s probably going to get us. Like…“
It proves too much energy to speak, so Annabelle mimes a very (very) small shovel in the air with two index fingers. The display is short and more than a little sour, and her hands crawl right back into her pockets thereafter.
“US OBVIOUSLY!!” Mercy yells to the man’s back, for all the good it’ll do. Then with another grumble she looks to the rest of the haphazard gardening crew. “Aigh’ les’ start headin’ fer the gates outta here, he can find us once he’s done shoppin’.” A quick pivot and she starts heading northward.
Deciding Jakem’s mother duck days are done, Annabelle trails behind Mercy.
Jakem Fast forwards an intense haggling session within the market as the group might mingle either with one another or at the tavern, coming back with the following items:
Some burlap sacks
Four shovels
Some fishing line (apparently instead of the fine nets)
A literal sack of gruel, dripping out the bottom
Some sort of hot beverage.
From attop the hill it appears that the Marsh is off to the northeast, the forest to the west, and a grassland to the north. The hill itself seems pretty sparse with regards to interesting flora.
“..So like. H-how do the plants uhm. Get from here-” Annabelle/i>Mercy ticks a brow up at Annabelle after surveying their surroundings anew to gauge where best to start. “By us carryin’ ’em, obviously. Hope you ain’ been skippin’ arm day.”
Maise just continues to look around in stunned awe.
Then Mercy shifts her attention to Jakem with an outward sweep of her arm to the landscapes ahead. “So, got a few options on different types of flora clearly, what we wanna prioritize? What’re you lookin’ fer in particular?”
takes one look at the sack of gruel, sticks her nose up at it like a Disney princess presented with not the glass slipper, but the snapped off leg of the wicked witch of the west, and accepts a shovel and sack instead- the two joining the hammer on Bekki’s other shoulder effortlessly, indicative of the possible way that a good deal of weight could be returned to the city.
“I skip most days.” she mumbles vaguely, looking down at herself with a lazy inspection.
Falling behind the group for a good twenty paces, former nurse Annabelle does a 270′ before reorienting herself towards the group and wandering back up.
Jakem nods over to Maise “So first time out of the city?” He asks conversationally, then calls over to Annabelle “Yeah, I dunno, I didn’t really handle logistics much. I’m sure you’ll figure something out though.”
Maise looks at Jakem, “I mean, I travelled to the city but this is like a wicked..hologram.”
Jakem calls ahead to Mercy, lagging behind a bit “Right, criteria… We gotta get stuff that’ll survive in Haven. We might want stuff that Haven will survive. And we gotta be able to get it back to the mirror.”
Jakem nods to Maise “Yeah, one of these days I’m gonna get a projector that’ll put something like this on the Den walls.” He says, not in the least bit trying to dissuade her that this is a hologram.
Just one of Annabelle’s shoulder bounces in response to Maise. “It’s okay. There’s a guy in a tent somewhere with a red imp on it. He’s nice.”
In her palanquin, Teagan is trying not to nap. She had a long night, too. But there is a look toward the trees and some consideration. She fishes a key out of a pocket and curls her fingers around it; mirror-like scales seem to ripple down her left arm from shoulder to wrist, some flickering in and out of existence. “I am fairly sure,” she murmurs as she sits more upright (well, the latticework of wood supporting her shifts and moves to push her more upright) to gaze out at the landscape. “I can tell what should or shouldn’t survive. Plus, we can always build a greenhouse or something.”
Jakem calls over to Teagan “Sorry your highness, nothing that requires a greenhouse. Wonder wants invasive species.” he says with a sly grin.
Maise looks at Jakem, “So things with teeth or vines?”
“Wonderful.” Annabelle/span/span>Mercy says “So somethin’ that can survive summers an’ winters both, ain’ too big, an’ ain’ man-eatin’ ideally.“
Jakem looks to Maise “Oh, invasive mostly means they’ll spread on their own. But teeth and vines are great.”
Following Mercy and the rest, Bekki glances around for threats, posture shifting subtly as she leaves the confines of the village, less casual, more deliberate threat in each foot fall- This is the other, looking like a victim is a poor idea.
“The city can handle a lot.” she points out. “Like, trees and willows and creepers and shit. So we should be fine.” said every first first victim in a horror movie ever.
Maise grins at Jakem, “I’m no gardener, that’s my ma. So just point and I can dig or something.”
In the rule of street talk and walking the walk, Annabelle is practically begging to get hit by a car on the empty crosswalk of this Fae hood. Possessing neither the proper colors of the environment, or particular attentiveness, she rubs the tip of her finger along a tree as they pass.
Jakem nods to Maise “Well Mercy’s in charge, I’m sure she’ll point out something once we get down into the valley.”
“Just so long as we don’t bring back any new hedge creepers,” Teagan says in a flat voice, though at odds with that is her smirk toward Jakem. “Just Teagan is fine, I don’t expect titles outside of my kingdom.” A flutter of eyelashes. “But no, really. I know… a lot about the Other and its plant life now, so I should be able to tell if the stuff we want will survive or not.”
Annabelle says, agreeably droning out, “Mercy is in chaaarge.“
Maise says “Which one’s Mercy?“
Mercy listens to all the input and chatter amongst the crew, chewing on the inside of her cheek. “Mm, guess we can start with the grasslands first an’ see if anythin’ interestin’ stands out or meets the criteria.”
Jakem gestures to Mercy “Your fellow southern belle.”
Maise motions to Mercy, “Good to know. I will do as she asks.”
Jakem looks to Teagan “An expert in the other huh? Where were yah last week when we were all on that picnic?”
Annabelle rubs some nothing between her forefinger and thumb, then idly traces some nothing-residue across her jacket.
Annabelle says, distractedly, “I’m Anna.“
Teagan looks back at Jakem and says, deadpan: “Didn’t get an invite. Y’all abandoned me with mist newbies and psychos like that wannabe French bitch.”
Maise smiles at Annabelle, “Nice to meet ya Sugar.”
Mercy begins heading north again, deciding to hit the grasslands first.
Annabelle whispers, clandestinely, “Sweetness and spice and everything nice..”
Maise smiles at Annabelle.
“Creepers is easy.” Bekki counters, calling over a shoulder to the perambulatory Teagan. “It’s willows what get trouble, specially if you get a couple.”
Mercy tilts her face up to sniff at the air with more purpose, no doubt checking to see if anything stands out scent-wise with regards to the native plant life.
The grasslands are dotted with a light sprinkling of snow, the plant life here getting less and less terrestrial.
Maise practically skips over to Mercy, “You got a super powered nose?”
Jakem/i>Holding up her arms, including the mirrored-one, Teagan gestures with her staff at Bekki. “I’m not a close quarters fighter, Bekki. Have you seen me? And when the creepers get in close someone like me is kinda fucked. And without a storm to call lightning-” pout, “it’s a little trickier to deal with em.”
Mercy stops to squint over at Maise and shuffle away a few paces when the girl gets closer. “.. Sorta. Spot anythin’ that look unique around here?”
Maise grins at Mercy, “Everything is unique here. We seem to be the odd ones out.”
Mercy deadpans a little at that response, but she can’t exactly argue it either; the girl had a solid point. Then the arms come up to start wildly shoo-motioning everyone. “Aigh’ y’all fan out a bit, find somethin’ neat. Maybe you get a prize fer it.” They likely don’t.
The sound of a trickling brook is heard in the distance.
Annabelle trails off from the group, a victim of her own attention, sleepingwalking over to a bush of sorts. She bends forward, palms on her knees, staring down at the Tinklebelles like she’s menacing a preschooler that’s acting up.
As Annabelle lingers near the Tinklebelles, they do indeed create a variety of bell-like ringings as the wind blusters through briefly.
With the rustling of leaves and tippy taps of tiny tree trunks (this palanquin could be a close cousin to Luggage), Teagan/span/i/span>Maise shrugs and heads over to the Weathervines, “Fan out, can do.”
“Mosta Haven’s kinda molesty.” Bekki quips to Jakem, “specially the professors at uni.”
It’s Teagan’s comment that catches Bekki’s attention though and she considers the group again, this time with an assessing eye.
“I guess.” she supposes. But, like, I don’t look like I can lift a thousand pounds. You kinda cant just assume.” She follows Mercy’s instruction though, both (literally) sniffing around, along with looking for something viable.
Annabelle lifts a hand to allow it to flow in the tinkling petals- their repetition either a poison or a lullaby as she teeters forward and promptly flattens face first into a jangle of their reeds.
With the approach closer to the Weathervine, the soft sound of a storm can be heard. Crashing thunder, sparking lighting, all in the miniature.
Mercy leaves the task of investigating more or less to the others while she kind of surveys from a short distance, a wary eye watching for trouble that isn’t them. Especially after her last trip to the Other, she wasn’t feeling quite so carefree.
Jakem/i/span>“Mosta Haven’s kinda molesty.” Bekki quips to Jakem, “specially the professors at uni.”
It’s Teagan’s comment that catches Bekki’s attention though and she considers the group again, this time with an assessing eye.
“I guess.” she supposes. But, like, I don’t look like I can lift a thousand pounds. You kinda cant just assume.” She follows Mercy’s instruction though, both (literally) sniffing around, along with looking for something viable. Naturally, Annabelle’s toppling face first into the plants gets a snicker, the demon walking over to (in)considerately drag Annabelle out if it looks like it’s needed, though Jakem is there first.
Mercy watches Annabelle faceplant with a blank expression, then a quiet sigh with just the slightest back-roll of her eyes before she starts heading that way. “What in the fuck did she do to herself?” She asks Jakem, given he seems to have taken over the situation with the downed woman.
“I cannot lift a thousand pouds, I’d be a smushed lil thing.” Maise comments, “Oh that sound is lovely.”
The other is a strange place, and these women’s education did not prepare them for the odd plants of the place it seems.
The scents of flowers mingle with coming snow in a bewildering persistence of spring through the winter chill.
Jakem/i/i>Mercy seems to favor the tinklebelles for the soothing sound they make, glancing over a shoulder for Teagan to try and get the woman’s attention and beckon her over. “What about these? They all pretty an’ make nice sounds, could put ’em in one of the neighborhoods to spruce things up.”
Bekki is not the most adept in flora (in fact, she thinks Flora is a butter alternative) but she attempts to assess the tinklebelles from a safe(ish) distance, perceving what she can and trying to identify if it has medicinal uses. She fails, of course. The bimbo is a city girl, and plants pop into life clipped, potted or trailing a trellice or raised bed, naturally. To think otherwise is madness at best.
Maise knows nothing about the plants, but she’s entranced with them in the most basic of ways.
Of course the sounds of storms and the like draw Teagan nearer to the Weathervine to investigate it. She even lowers her ride (hell yeah we got hydraulics in this bitch) to step down and crouch by the plant, reaching out with her staff to poke at it. But she’s distracted. Maybe by thoughts of beheadings. “These are neat. I’m kinda wondering if you can use ’em to summon lightning.” But she looks over toward Mercy and Bekki. “Maybe Northview, when we take over? Sure, let’s take ’em.”
A description of how the plants are obtained will be compared to the SR’s notes of how to keep them alive. Emote appropriately.
Mercy hums thoughtfully with her eyes on the weathervines, too. “Those could be neat in Killgrove.. ‘Less we only takin’ one variety.”
“Umm…” Bekki/i>“These are small enough, let’s collect both,” Teagan suggests even as she steps back from the Weathervine enough to start working her magic. And by magic she means the literal thing. She’s not using a shovel here. It’s the staff to encourage a portion of the plant up out of the ground and to grow hearty enough it can be transferred to one of the sacks. While she’s encouraging the growth, she offers in an aside to Maise – “If you could fill a sack with some dirt, maybe?”
Maise nods at Teagan, “I can do that.”
While the Tinklebelles are indeed quite small, the Weathervine is a bit larger. It’ll take one person to carry a suitable sample. That said, the magic seems remarkably effective at gently uprooting the vine. With dirt prepared, the vine is safely stored, though quite heavy.
Maise finds a sack and looks for a tool to fill it with dirt.
Mercy wonders the odds of getting their money back on those shovels as she watches Teagan solve everything with magic instead. There’s a wrinkling of her nose but she doesn’t otherwise complain or interrupt, instead moving to assist Maise in the task more suited to the non-magicals; dirt collection.
Conveniently, however, there is the palanquin! But will Teagan/i>Teagan DID offer at the outset. With vine in hand (more heavily so than expected), the redhead begins looking it over more closely. “I wonder if you can control the weather it outputs… Imagine a whole canopy of this on the beach in the summer, with snow coming down. It’d be a nice place to cool off.”
Maise smiles at Mercy, finding the shovel and offering her another, “Lil bit of dirt is good for the soul.”
Mercy bobs a little nod of thanks as she reaches for the shovel, setting it against the ground a bit away from the flowers but close enough that it’s still the same dirt that’s obviously of the right quality for growth, a heel shoving it in deeper as she starts to haul some up in loose bits. “Ain’ got a problem with dirt, or manual labor.”
The weathervine is collected. Now who’s carrying it?
Being a problem solving sort, Bekki/i>“Only time I have an issue with dirt is when it’s in places I don’t like.” Maise says with a giggle.
“Ears is, like, kinda useful.” Bekki calls out to Maise. “Unless your ears is kinda disgusting, but you can just get that fixed with fleshforming.” Of course she’d advertise for family enterprises whilst obliterating portions of the landscape by hand. (She does have a shovel. It’s right there, but she’s likely forgotten.)
Maise nods at Bekki, “Uh huh, if you say so Sugar.”
Mercy seems to know her way around a shovel and digging holes, which might lead one to wonder how and why given her obvious lack of hands-on experience in the realm of gardening. A few sacks are properly filled in case extra are needed while Bekki is in the process of transferring some over, and once a few specimens are collected she seems satisfied with their work here and slings the shovel over a shoulder. “Aigh’, les’ move on to check those marshlands. Places like that always got fucked up plants an’ critters.”
“She’s right,” Teagan says with a nod to Bekki’s offer. “I even have a coupon for fleshforming if you want. Twenty percent off. It expires soon, so you gotta decide quick.” She’s holding the weathervine at the moment but once the sack is ready for it, she dumps it in and… looks between the sack and her palanquin and finally decides that the palanquin can be their proverbial wagon, setting the plant upon it.
Maise looks down at her feet, “I should have worn boots.” She glances at Teagan, “Kind of you to offer, but I like my flesh as it is.”
Mercy says “Everyone ready to mosey?“
Teagan gives Mercy a thumbs up.
With Tinklebelles collected… or ravaged, depending on perspective, and Weathervine safely stowed on the palanquin, it causes the magical construct to ride a bit lower than Teagan did. Heavy thing with the dirt and the water in the soil it seems. Still, it does move.
Mercy shoots Maise a look after hearing her say something, but otherwise has already started heading towards the wetter patch of land. They probably all should have worn better boots for this.
“Your balance comes from your ears, so if you didn’t have them you’d know, and, like you don’t got hideous ears.” Bekki/i>Bekki nods, standing to come join Mercy and the others.
Maise gives a curious glance to Bekki, “I meant I don’t like having dirt in my ears. I have really cute ears.”
Tromping down a forest path into the marshland, puddles of water dapple the ground in various spots, unfrozen despite the harsh chill in the air.
Mercy spots the enormous venus fly trap-looking plans almost immediately, keeping her distance but appraising them with obvious interest. “Oh dang, look at those fuckers.”
`In the distance a crash echoes through the brush, followed by the pained wail of a great beast becoming something’s prey.
Maise freezes, “Oh..dear.”
Thankfully, Teagan/i>Teagan blinks, shrugs, seems to decide it’s fine and continues her approach.
Mercy shoots an uneasy look in the direction of the noise, then back to the fly trap plant like surely one of its siblings is to blame, but given its size and obvious appetite she’s inclined to agree with Teagan and heads over to the.. bathing flowers instead. “What th- oh, man. I kinda want one of these in my home..”
Maise doesn’t quite want to get that wet so she wanders over to the spooky trap spiders.
Maise doesn’t quite want to get that wet so she wanders over to the spooky trap flowers. – amended
“Your ears is kinda okay.” Bekki agrees, glancing back over the group’s trail to see if Jakem’s sack of gruel is leaving an obvious trail to follow.
Then she looks to her feet. “I gotta buy boots. I’m gonna have to buy new trainers.” because washing them is so very hard.
Then she looks upward, spotting the venus mantraps. “Fire.” she comments, “Let’s not take them back. They’re too big to go in a sack.” which is of course when she blunders into the shower flowers (At least her trainers are clean again.)
Jakem is indeed trailing with a sack of gruel that leaves a trail to cover the one dissapearing into the marsh. It even seems to have attracted insects despite the cold weather.
Maise looks at the clothes, “I don’t think we want to bring these back, they seem to …” She looks at the bones, “Unless you want a guard plant.”
Mercy says “These ones might need to be mostly indoor flowers dependin’, but we could put some near a body of water.“
Maise looks at the baby people eater and squints, “Something outta a musical.”
Bekki screams at the sudden torrent of cold water, immediately sodden. She should start dressing for the weather, but never thinks of these things outside of the fur lined hoodie.
Shivering until she turns off her nervous systom’s responces, her eyes widen at Teagan’s suggestion. “Oh. I could make Avalon pay. That’s a great idea. He even don’t look like dadbod RN. I made him get fleshformed.”
In fact, she’s so enamoured with the idea that she forgets the plants, making a mental note.
Should Jakem/i>Rapidly growing shoots and vines begin to close off the trail you followed here, begining to obscure it beneath new growth.
“I…” Teagan/i/span>Teagan says as she circles one of the shower flowers. “Uhm… I mean, maybe these would be good by the beach, too?” She’s got beach weather on the mind, clearly. “Y’know, the whole showering off all the sand thing?” Because moving something from the marsh to the beach totally makes sense.
Mercy shoots a squinty-eyed look over at Bekki while making a bit of a face. Teagan earns the same shortly after as she tries to make any sense of what the hell they’re talking about with regards to her mentor. “What even..” She starts, but then nearby movement and noise catches her attention- faint, but unmistakably rustling that isn’t the group, and she looks back towards the path they’d wandered in from. “Uh..”
Mercy says “We may wanna hurry the fuck up, grab these hygiene flowers an’ hustle on outta here.“
Maise says “Hygiene flowers, good branding.“
is still thinking about having things baught for her and in spite of being rather perceptive, misses the growth. (Oh well. Someone will take care of that. What could possibly go wrong?)
The question causes a snort of laughter as Bekki steps away from the shower plants, head shaking as she sniffs contemptuously. “He ain’t domesticated. He just wants me to stop trying to kill him,. He ain’t someone I wanna date, but, like, he lasts the longest in bed. I don’t tire quick.” she cheats with biokinesis. “But, like, I’d rather Kai. He could at least take more punishment, and I kinda like to hurt people I wanna keep.” of course she does. Why wouldn’t the demonborn be hyper violent for no good reason what so ever.
“You should suggest he eats Helen’s tits instead. I bet she screams better than you do.” she suggests to Teagan. “I was gonna lure her to the gym and tie her to the climbing bars and then post it on myhaven, but that’s a far better idea.”
“Kai is looking for his next whatever,” Teagan tells Bekki, “now’s your chance. It’d get him out of my DMs at least. He keeps offering to come inspect the twins.” She makes a face and does not bother to even try suppressing a shudder. And no, she did not notice their path back closing either. Hopefully someone remembered a bone compass. “So, we want a hygiene flower or nah?” She’s asking Mercy, the Mission Leader, clearly.
Jakem looks at the returning people, then to the plants as he hoists Annabelle “So, what’s the verdict?” He asks, gesturing between them, looking to Maise “Anything interesting about the tree thing?”
Maise grins at Jakem, “It eats people and there’s a baby one if you want a pet Sugar.”
Jakem hmmm’s “Tempting, but these are for our Cul… arborist society.” he declares, then looks to Mercy “A’right boss, what’s the plan?”
“Yeah, but then I’d have to pretend to care and stuff and I don’t wanna do that.” Bekki points out to Teagan, her hair spreading out under its own power to dry itself faster as the bedraggled, sopping wet demon steps away. “He wants me to go over though, but he hurts good when I say no.”
“We’re cultivators for an arborist society,” Teagan follows up helpfully for Jakem’s commentary. “You should go over and then at the very last second, when he’s all raring and ready to go be like nah, changed my mind, and leave him there.” Teagan definitely supports Kai suffering, it would seem. She steps away from the Hygiene Flower herself since it seems that New Haven will be allowed to continue being smelly.
Mercy clenches her jaw and turns a glance back onto Bekki that’s more overtly hostile this time, some disgust speckled in there for good measure. “Can you keep yer talk ’bout fuckin’ to more private quarters or at least ain’ curse us all with this knowledge durin’ a mission? Christ, man.” Then with a roll of her shoulders she upnods Teagan in confirmation. “Ayeah, hygiene flowers. These’re gonna be hard to transport cause of the whole needin’ to be in wet soil. but we’ll be quick.”
Mercy says “Then we take a clippin’ an’ hope it one of those plants that can be cloned.“
Bekki adds, “I could, but, like, Teagan asked.” A shrug follows as if to say ‘cant be helped’
Jakem nods, gesturing to Maise “Well if not the Shower Flower, what about the baby tree? Or we ditchin’ to go to the forest now?”
Maise gives Mercy a grin, “I second that, I think private lives are best kept in private.”
Maise hums, “The baby eater looks easy to carry.”
“Or, we could take it and feed people to it when it gets bigger.” Bekki suggests. “We could make it and the kraken fight.”
Jakem nods to Mercy “Sure thing, we can put one of those signs up. Careful; well or something.”
“Ain’ eat nobody like us, I mean. If we put it in a pit fer throwin’ enemies into thas’ what ever.” Mercy clarifies, then nods to Jakem. “Aigh’ someone grab the little guy an’ less hit the last stop.”
“Not it,” Teagan says simply as she returns to her palanquin and its charge, ready to follow Mercy to their next stop.
Maise grabs a bag that had been towed along and throws the shovel over her shoulder, “I got this one Sugars.” She heads over to collect the little eater.
Able to dig the baby out of the ground without too much issue, it does took a deep push to get some of the better developed roots. Still, with the dirt required, even the little one will require one person to carry. Who takes it?
Mercy has to Indiana Jones her way through the overgrowth a little with a hunting knife instead of a machete, but it’s good enough.
holds out the bag of earth and possibly dead tinklebelles to who ever wants to take it. “Think I’m the one what’s least like to get ate, so I can do it if you want.” she doesn’t want though, and Maise has it, so Bekki/i>The winding trail leads through the forest, a place much darker and gloomier than before. The trail ends at an enormous tree, though once again it’s offspring grows in small patches about the area.
There is a long, long look for the tree and Teagan/i>“Based.” Bekki calls out as the group get closer to the tree. “This is that tree I told you about. The one what eats things.”
Maise says “I’m gonna avoid gettin eaten.“
55The sound of a single bird call echoes through the forest.
Shortly after, an enormous shadow covers the Grove in darkness as something flies overhead.
Mercy creeps along behind Teagan with the knife still gripped tightly, just in case anything springs up to attack. Or she gets assaulted by more tentacle-like vines and appendages, because you really never know. “That ain’ the worst idea..”
Bekki looks up as the giant shadow passes over head, pausing in her tracks.
Of course the only tree Teagan heard about was the one that Bekki seems to have already researched.
The tree is a perfect match for Haven’s particular climate, and would be very successful. However it will slowly encompass and consume any nearby immobile objects. Other trees, lamp posts, mail boxes, or sleeping animals.
Mercy says “We oughta maybe make sure we know how to like, neutralize or outright kill this sort of plant if we gotta down the line though./span/i/b>Bekki supposes. “If not, fire.”
42The sense of being watched permeates the grove.
Mercy hunkers down a little, sensing that something’s off here. Beyond the offness of everything here typically, that is. “Hrm.. ain’ gettin’ a good feelin’.”
“Sure, I guess,” Teagan/i/i>“Hopefully it’ll eat that literal crazy cat lady.” Mercy comments while otherwise keeping all her senses on high alert, nose up in the air again.
Letting out a hiss that’s less human than it is creature, Bekki slips instinctively to the balls of her feet, hair spreading out as her hammer is lowered from a shoulder ready to swing, eyes darting for the potential threat.
Mercy isn’t quite sure what she’s smelling but she knows it’s something bad, and suddenly she’s trying to almost physically herd Teagan along with urgency. “Aigh’ yeah we gotta fuck on off asap, les’ go.”
Mercy says “Shit, now it a party!“
24An enormous creature the size of a bear in the shape of a cat emerges from the underbrush, snarling as it pounces. It’s ribs are gaunt, and it’s eyes blaze.
Mercy says “Dang it ugly./i/b>A few moments to pose, and then the fight begins.
She shouldn’t, but Bekki/i>Teagan is busy, thank you very much. She is trying to get this sapling uprooted and prepared for travel. And so she continues directing one hand (with staff) at the tree. The other hand, with that key she has, is pointed toward the beast and she calls out: “DOWN.” Don’t disrupt the busy druid. Or do. But there’s consequences.
The creature seems to be on the verge of starvation. No talking it down. Kill or die appears to be what it thinks its options are.
Maise can’t fight or do anything so she’s going to hide.
Teagan says “There is never a fucking storm when I need one./i>Teagan keeps telling everyone she’s a druid now.
Maise quietly says, “I want to go out of this dream now.”
takes a few potshots at the creature before realizing his pistol isn’t firing. Finally he runs up to give it a thwack, before running right back for cover as soon as it thunks him.
Launching into a berserker (demonic) rage, Bekki moves in, hammer raised one handed to repeatedly bludgeon it with reckless abandon until it’s less than a corpse, and more of a pulped sack of fur.
Jakem looks to Maise “Oof, ouch, yah look a bit worse for wear. Where’d it getcha?”
Maise looks at Jakem, “Where didn’t it?”
Jakem looks over Maise from head to toe, little splotches of blood across her “Huh, weird, woulda figured it woulda thought you’d make the paltriest meal. Maybe southerners taste better?”
Jakem glances towards the creature, or what’s left of it “I take it we’re not taking that one alive huh?” he comments drolly.
Maise says “I am rather sweet.“
After the beast absolutely disobeyed her command for it to sit the fuck down and behave, Teagan got back to her feet, retreated to a more protective stance over Maise. and brought the forest to life. From roots rising to wrap around the creature to vines and greenery coming to life to lash out at it on her command. And even a good, solid thunk from her bow. She sniffs as she slings the latter back over her shoulder. “We should take the corpse with us at least. Maybe we can find a taxidermist.”
Jakem calls over to Mercy “Hey Mercy, does that mean you’re sweet too?”
Mercy stares at Jakem blankly. “No.”
Maise says “You need sour and sweet to make a good glass of lemonade.“
Jakem does not seem the slightest bit suprised by Mercy’s answer, smirking. “True. And Mercy’s got sour in spades.”
Good at following instruction, Bekki grabs the creature by a pulped leg and begins to drag it behind her as she rejoins the group, apparently very content with having been able to murder something.
“Damn right, that where all the zest comes from.” A little toss of her head and Mercy beckons for her followers to gather themselves, and seemingly what ever souvenirs they want to take home given Bekki has gathered up the remains of the cat-bear-wolf thing. “Aigh’, everyone got all their limbs an’ shit? Les’ get ready to go before somethin’ else bigger an’ hungrier comes along.”
Jakem nods to Mercy “Skipping the tree then?”
Jakem looks over at the partially acquired sapling “Oh hey, lookit that. Sorry, Anna’s bum was in the way.”
Jakem notes that apparently there’s a corpse of underbrush laying about if we wanted an item.
Bekki gestures with her hammer towards Teagan. Agreeing with Mercy, she tells Jakem. “Druid Queen’s got the muder tree of murder death.”
Jakem nods to Mercy “She didn’t sleep last night.”
Mercy takes the underbrush, cause why not.
Jakem nods to Bekki “A’right, I guess we’re done here. Shall we start back?” He asks Mercy “Or there something else we should do?”
Teagan goes back to work on gathering their sapling after having been so rudely interrupted by that which is now a corpse. Don’t upset the druid, clearly.
“Where am I putting this once we’re through and after I wipe it across that receptionist bitch’s desk?” Bekki asks Teagan.
“I figure either Jakem’s museum or your boyfriend’s trophy room,” Teagan says to Bekki.
“He ain’t my boyfriend and this is my kill, not his.” Bekki sniffs. Everyone else helped, sure, but Bekki is nothing if not single minded and possessive. “Jakem can have it. He don’t smell like carrion.”
Jakem grins lopsidedly at Bekki “You’re a doll, thanks. I’ll uh, give it a good home.” He looks to Mercy “Should be able to get back out of here through the village.”
Mercy nods once and whirls around to begin the march back to the village, boots making that funny squelching sound with every step given they were not quite meant for all this mud and water.
As the group arrives back at the village, the disturbance in spacetime is eventually discovered. The gruel has unfortunately gone bad, so there’s no after adventure snack, so instead, Jakem/i>